endurancefandomcom-20200213-history
All Tied Up
All Tied Up is the thirteenth episode of Endurance: High Sierras. Overview The final three teams of Green, Blue, & Purple are left. As JD explains the magnitude of the next mission, he reveals that one team will have a huge advantage over the other two teams. Summary It’s a brand-new day, and there are only three teams left in the High Sierras: Blue, Green and Purple. The previous night, Taylor and Connor of the Blue team made Endurance history when they returned from the Temple of Fate for the third time — and in the process sent the Red team home. On this morning, the remaining contestants meet JD in front of the treehouses to read the Red team’s departing note and, more importantly, to find out to whom Red has left their pyramid pieces. JD hands the note to Kelsey to read. The contents take everyone aback; in their note, the Red players express their great admiration for the Blue team, and all that Taylor and Connor have gone through to get this far in Endurance. The Red team then comments that Alex and Cealey of Green are flat-out lucky to still be in the game, and have only been so fortunate because they have been carried thus far by the Purple team. Finally, in the biggest shock to the entire group, Red reprimands the deceptive strategizing of Dakota and Kelsey. The Red players had truly thought that Purple would keep their word and protect them from Temple. When Purple didn’t keep their word, Cameron and Aeriel decided to split their two pyramid pieces. They planned to give one to Green and the other to Blue! Kelsey and Dakota of Purple are shaken by this turn of events. But the surprises this morning do not end with the Red team’s letter. JD has some more business to attend to today. He reminds the final three teams of the warning he gave them on their first day in the High Sierras: pay attention to karma. The message he’d relayed was that it’s not always about who wins or loses, but how you play the game. Sometimes, JD tells the contestants, karma has a way of rearing its head at the oddest times — and today is one of those times! JD informs the group that one team will be given an advantage in the final Temple mission, by the teams who have already been sent home. When each team was eliminated, they voted for one person to help in the final mission at Temple. The three teams are shocked and nervous as they await their fate. Who has played the game wisely and with compassion, and who has played it to win at any cost? JD begins announcing the results of the voting. Dakota of the Purple team got one vote. Taylor of the Blue team got one as well. Cealey got zero votes! Kelsey got one, giving Purple the lead. Like his teammate, Alex also got zero votes — which means the Green team did not receive any votes! It all comes down to Connor, who must get at least one vote to tie Purple. JD pulls out Connor’s total. He got four votes! The Blue team has beaten the other teams by a long shot and will receive the advantage in the mission. JD congratulates Blue and tells all the teams he will see them soon for their final Temple mission. The Blue team is pleasantly surprised at this turn of events. It has really tipped the scales in their favor. Meanwhile, Green and Purple are not taking the new development well. Alex feels bad that he received no votes and reflects that maybe he should’ve been less focused on the game and more focused on the friendships. Dakota is bitter that Red left a pyramid piece to Blue instead of Purple, as it has widened their already enormous lead in the game. Meanwhile, up in the girls’ cabin, Cealey laments that she got no votes, and fears that everyone hated her. Her feelings are hurt, and she wishes she had been more friendly to the other players. Kelsey is angered and wonders why the former players didn’t understand that Purple couldn’t protect everyone. Taylor tells the other girls that they need to move beyond the karma vote and just focus on the next mission. The teams head off to meet JD to play in their final Temple mission, “ All Tied Up”. JD explains that the teams must untangle three separate criss-crossed ropes that have been meticulously tangled around tree trunk-length poles. Everyone is nervous, as there has never been more pressure to win; the team that manages to untangle their ropes first will be guaranteed a spot in the Endurance: High Sierras finals. JD tells the Blue team their good karma has given them a 30-second advantage in the game, and they’ll start untangling 30 seconds before Purple and Green are able to start. The teams line up, and JD gives Blue the go-ahead. Taylor and Connor race to their pole and begin to unwind the ropes. They work cautiously, and the time seems to fly by. Will karma pay off for the Blue team today? Thirty seconds pass quickly, and JD lets Purple and Green loose to run to their respective poles and start working quickly to make up for Blue’s advantage. JD notices that Green is on fire, working together like they never have before. Purple and Green both begin to catch up with the Blue team, who seems to be moving slowest, in very little time. Both Purple and Green pass over Blue, and as both teams near the end of their poles, it becomes apparent that this mission will come to very close end. Ultimately, Purple untangles all three ropes first and begins to celebrate their victory. JD congratulates Dakota and Kelsey: they are now officially in the Endurance finals. Green and Blue will face off at Temple tonight to fill the other vacancy for the final. Purple is ecstatic, and while their friends on the Green team congratulate them, Blue can do nothing but lean against their pole in disappointment at their opportunity squandered. Later on, Green and Blue pack their bags, tell Purple goodbye, and head off to Temple. Facing the thought of the game ending for her, Cealey wishes that she had been less harsh on Taylor and muses that she won’t begrudge Blue if they win, because they have overcome so many obstacles. Taylor says that even though this has been one of the hardest experiences of her life, she’s not ready for it to be over yet. Connor, Alex, Cealey and Taylor finally reach the Temple of Fate, and JD welcomes them all — Blue for the fourth time, and Green for the first. This is it ... one team will win the chance to compete in the Endurance: High Sierras finals, and the unlucky loser will go home, one day away from winning it all. Can Blue break yet another Endurance record, winning Temple for the fourth time, or will Green have beginners’ luck? They get right into the game. The teammates consult each other and choose their first pieces. JD puts their selections into the burning cauldron and waits to see who has the dominant element. Blue and Green look equally nervous as they await the results of the first round. Suddenly, Green’s element rises, as their wood has beaten out Blue’s water. Green celebrates this early victory, while the Blue players hug each other in disappointment. JD begins the next round. Taylor whispers to Connor, wondering what piece they should choose. Connor replies that they should stick with water. He says, “That’s what we always do. There's no reason to change it now?” Both teams hand JD their pieces. Can Blue take this round, forcing a tiebreaker, or will this be the final piece of wood they play up at the temple of fate? Taylor can’t even look as they await the results, and she buries her head in Connor’s shoulder. Green clings to each other in anticipation. JD asks for the dominant element to rise. In stunning fashion, once again Green’s wood rises, indicating that they have beaten Blue's water. Both teams chose the same elements in the second round! Green begins to celebrate their victory, while Blue is visibly crushed. Despite their exit from the game, JD congratulates Connor and Taylor for coming this far and playing such a great game. And with that, the Blue team leaves the High Sierras forever. After Taylor and Connor have departed, JD tells Green that they have beaten out the unstoppable Blue team and have made the Endurance finals. Tomorrow Cealey and Alex will face off against their friends on the Purple team, but tonight, he knows Purple will be thrilled to see them. Green gathers their pieces in excitement and heads back to camp. Kelsey and Dakota eagerly await the winning team, worried that Blue might come back for the fourth time. Fortunately for them, they see Green coming down the path, and they all run to embrace. It’s the most exciting reunion yet. The best friends will face off in the finals, as they had hoped since the beginning of the game. Game Play Standings :To be in play for the final mission: ''Perseverance, Leadership, Discipline, Luck, Trust, Ingenuity, Knowledge, Courage Mission In "All Tied Up", there is a long piece of wood, with strings tangled across it. The teams have to untangle the strings to the end; the first person who completes it wins. Production Notes Quotes: *'J.D.:' "Number three, I've been saving this shirt since day one for when we get down to the final three teams. Last night, the Blue team made Endurance history— over the past four years, no team has been up to Temple of Fate three times without being eliminated, but right next to me sits Taylor and Connor, who were lucky enough to break that curse." *'J.D.:' "Green team, you finally got another piece!" **'Alex:' "Yeaaah!" **'J.D.:' "Strength is yours, and you just doubled what you had, and Blue team, your lead just seems to be growing bigger and bigger." *'J.D.:' "The winner of today's Temple Mission might not be who you guys expect— it might not be the strongest team, or who's won the most challenges. You see, karma has a way of rearing its head at the oddest of times... like today." *'J.D.:' "When you compete in today's Temple Mission, one team is gonna have a big advantage over the other two, and that team will be chosen by the people you know best... the teams who were already eliminated. Because when each team member was eliminated, they got to vote for one remaining player they would like to help." *'J.D.:' "Connor, you got... four votes." *'Cameron/Aric/Lilly/Max:' (''stock footage of their exit interviews) "Connor." *'Connor:' "J.D. saved mine for last, and I was thinking, 'alright, I just need two', and then he opens it, and I have four; I was like, 'whoa!', that really surprised me." *'Taylor:' "Connor definitely deserved to get as many votes as he did, because he's been the nicest here to everybody, and what goes around comes around." *'Alex:' "I know people didn't hate me, but I know I made a lot of good friendships that I would've gotten at least one or two votes; it taught me that you have to stay competitive, but you have to stay friendly." *'Dakota:' "Red not giving their piece is upsetting me the most out of all this— throughout all the game, Red was friends with Purple, Green and Orange, and what in their right mind would make them wanna give the piece to Blue?!" *'Dakota:' "I didn't think I made any enemies, besides Gray team!" **'Alex:' "Me neither!" *'Kelsey:' "You okay?" **'Cealey:' (flashing her ballot) "We hate Cealey!" *'Cealey:' "Karma didn't work in my favor at all today— Alex and I both got no votes, which was kinda depressing and it kinda hurt; I do regret being a little bit mean and harsh towards people." *'Kelsey:' "When I heard that Dakota got one, I was thinking I'd get even more; just because Dakota did make some people mad, but I didn't think that I've made anybody mad." *'Kelsey:' "This morning definitely made me reevaluate some of the friendships I made; I assumed that since I was so nice to everybody, that they'd look back and think, 'oh, well, they did help us out on these occasions, so we'll help you out now', but... I guess they're just grumpy that we're here, and they had to go home." *'Taylor:' (about the karma vote) "This is weird, but I mean, it's the final three, and we can't think about who's gone home, because now we just have to think about the game." *'J.D.:' "I love how competitive you guys are; even after several weeks in the High Sierras, you walk down here, all of you trying to figure the game out, before I describe it, so that's why you're probably the final three teams in Endurance: High Sierras." *'Connor:' "I just feel bad, because I feel like I just wasted that karma thing." *'Connor:' "It was kinda hard to get motivated, because you just didn't have the rush of the other teams doing it beside you." *'Cealey:' "We tried our hardest, and we gave it our all, but we just didn't quite make it— if I do end up leaving, I'll wish that I was a little bit nicer and that I could've respected Taylor a little bit more, but I'm not gonna be bitter about Blue if they win, because they've worked so hard to get here, and I respect them for that." *'Alex:' "This was a great experience for me, and I'd be sad if I left today, but fourth time's the charm, so I think I'll take 'em out." *'J.D.:' "Can you set another Endurance record?" **'Connor:' "Yeah." *'J.D': "For the Blue team, an unbelievable journey, just legendary— through all the adversity, everything you guys overcame to get down to the final three seemed impossible, and yet you did it. I bet you guys have a lot to be proud of, especially with the way you played the game, and when it came down to it, karma, everybody wanted to help you." Trivia *Anna, Ike, and Darci's votes were not shown. **Anna: voted for Aeriel Ike: voted for Lilly Darci: voted for Yellow (wasn't asked to specify a person) *First time in Endurance History where a team has gone up to Temple more than three times. **Interestingly, the Blue Team was eliminated by Green--the first team afflicted by the Three Temple Curse on Endurance. Category:Episodes Category:Temple Missions Category:Final Three Episodes Category:Final Temple Missions Category:Season 5 episodes